Feeder for baling presses



May s; 1930.

F. NICHOLS FEEDER FOR BALING PRESSES Filed Aprill2, `1927 2 Shee'ts-Sheet l Izzvezzoz. Howe? Nichols May 6, 1930. F. NICI-OLS FEEDER FOR BALING PRESSES Filed April 12. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet Izzven'oz'..

Fiona Z ly-2: /orzzeys Patented May (i, v19.30 1

UNHTED; STATES 'PATENT-f. om@

ELoWEL menons, or cHiNo, CALIFORNIA FEEDER Eon BALING EEEssEs' Appnoation meaaprn 12.1912?. serial No. 183,089.'

This invention relates to a feederl attachment for baling presses forbaling hay and the like. One object is to provide a mechamcal feeder that can be operated automatically to intermittently transfer a charge 4of material from-a false or feed hopper to a ress hopper and to operate in timed relatlon to the press .head block. As is well known presses are provided with head blocks that are recip.

vrocated by pitman rods 'to move materialfrom the hoppers to compression in bales andthe purpose'of this feeder, as previously indicated, is to intermittentlyztransfer a charge of material from the feedhopper tol the press hopper just before the feeder head is actuated and the head block is moved 'on the compression stroke. y

Another object is to accomplish a complete 'separation of one charge of material from 'another, or to separate a charge'of material' i-n the feed hopper' from that bein'gcontinuously fed toward the feedA hopper by a conve or driven at a slower speed than the vfork so t at the charge is shifted at greats eedfrom the feed to the press hopper so itl be freeA from entanglin'g 4strings. of material. This is'ac.- complishedby a quick sweepin lstroke ofthe feeder 'fork which vis arrange to first move downward into the lmaterial iiowingofthe '30 discharge.end of the apron or conveyor onto the feed hopper, and then in a qulck sweeping stroke separate the char e from the conveyor and move it from the ee'd hoppeni'nto the press hopper. This sweeping movement tears 35 the charge awa Vfrom the material at the discharge end o the conve or so'that clean, uniform charges ofgmate'rial are intermittent- 1y fed to the press hopper. n

. Anobject is" to increase the'eicency of hay 4oypresses b yprovidin'g a more -eicientm'eans for. feeding charges vof material to them. Heretofore manlal means have beenprinci.

pally'employed to feed hay presses, whlch has resulted in irreguariy as to the speed and e to " 'sizes of charges e presses, all of which are detrimental to good, eiicl'eznt; and Speedy billing. i

' `Another object`- isl-to: save time and labor.

. To thatend an automatic feeder is provided 59 that can be' operated ata' higher rate of-speed -and more eiiiciently thanmanu'allelp, thereby greatly-increasing the output of the press. f The chief features" of the inventionconsist in the novel provision of the false or feed hopper beside the regular press hopper, in'posi; 55 tion to receive and hold a separated bunch or Vcharge of .hay which is fed into the press hopi per just before the headblock starts to operate, lwhereby no hay hangs out o f the press hopper oliconnects with outside hay or the like and in the novel-mounting of thefeeder fork so it willboth separatev a charge of hay on the feed hopper from the other hay,1and` will discharge the separate'bunch into the -press hopper at the right time, the fork or delivering means being operated from th'ebal; ing press. l

The various objects,advantages and fea- A tures .ofthe invention-'will appear from the accompanying drawings, the subjoined detailed description and the appendedclaims. The accompanying drawings illustrate the lnventon. Figure 1 is a semidiagrammatic view of a' hayl pressin side elevatlon with afeeder at- 75 tachment connected thereto that is construct- 4ed in accordance with thisinvention. Fig. 2 j isan enlarged fragmeintal cross section offa part'of the mach-ine on line 22 o/fFig. '1,fparts broken away to more clearly show the mounting-and operation of the feedfrk. :j Fig. 3 is a fragmental semidiagrammatic plan view ofthefeeder and press showing rthe means for driving the vfeeder and.conv eyor, 1 parts being broken away. Fig. 4 is al1-.enf

' fork, different positions' of the fork and the attached to a walking beam."

press frame12 and secured thereto by brackets f meansasby bolts or' razmg'.. vThe channel irons 10 vandjll are "at righi-angles to the hay press frame' fand 3 5 Iarged fragmental cross `section analogous Ato the parts shown-inFig. 2, showing in detailf-"g 'the construction and operation ofthefeede'r 1 f The feeder attachment is provided witha f I lframe mcludin'g parallel channel ironslO 11 g that have end "portions extended over ajfay feti:A

- ranged vertically on the channel irons and 'l1 and sheet iron sides 20 and 2l and an end on 'the upper. edges of the s ides 2O and 21. plate 22 are secured to the irons 19 so as to and. pivotally connected to a walking beam- ,form` .i trough fora conveyor 23, a false or 52`by stra s 53'. A fork 54 is connected to u speedfromthe openend ofthe fee trou The operation of' he feeder head and head but. rocks or osci'llates in al1-arc 200.

end ofthe arm. t

Theconveyor 23 is mounted on rollers 28, when approaching the feed hopper 24 andA Secured t0n Side of the conveyorA trough. A

- ergfn timed relation to the movement of have their lree'ends supportedby inclined speed as the conveyor 2 3, and .has its lower brace rods that are secured to the channel end arranged to ride on the material carirons and frame', asbest shown in Fig.`2. The ried by the conveyor so that its weight is dichannel irons 10 andl 11 are secured together rected toward the discharge end of the lconby vcross bars 17 that are-preferably angle .veyor to hold the hay lor straw back when irons, and-aoor 18i secured to these bars, as the stroke of the fork 54 is made to deliver best shown in Fig. 4. f a charge of material from the feed to the press Other an e`irons`19are secured to and arho. ,L l Xpiair of cranks 50 and 51 are vmounted feedhopper 24, and apress hopper 25. one' end o the walking beam-by stra s 55 The feed hopper 24 is provided with a sheet and a brace 56 and arranged so that 1 opiron bottom 26 that is arranged to receive eration the tines.of the fork will pick up 'a a charge of baling material from the conveyor charge lof material from' the feed hopper 24 23 and positioned ,sor that the charge can be' and move it in a quick-sweeping stroke into easily slid toward and into the press hopper the press hopper 25. The hop er 25 has an open bottom s oV thatwhen a c ar e of material is discharged therein it f a of the head vblock 27 where it willfirst be The arms of crank 51 are considerably longer acted on by.l the feeder head 127l and then than the arms of crank 50, so that, crank5l moved to compression by the head block 27. does not revolieas does the driven crank e block are old and well understood in the art revolving` crank 50 land the-swinging crank and,- therefore' not shown or described inide- 51 cooperate to cause the fork 54 to move 1n The fork 54 is actuated by a chain 5 7v that connects a sprocket wheel 5&011 the roller 40 f l into the press in advance with .a sprocket wheel 59 on the crank 50.`

tail. The feeder here is mounted on the uplan irregularellipse 60, as\indicated by the er end of the arm 128, rame member v130,yan actuated b a cam 51 are moved, as indicated by the arrows in (not shown) on shaft 38 engaging t elower Fi s. 2 and 4.'

' s illustrated the points of lthe fork tines,

29 andis driven at intermediate speed so as moving toward` the press hopper l25,*l are to convevmaterial at a relativel uniform moved in a sweeping arca-4 whichwill towardthefalsehopper] 24. A bevel pinion :on the bottom 26 of the lfalse op er 24 `and 31 is' secured toone end ofthe roller 28 and then with a stroke of great sp and force is arranged to mesh with a similar pinion 32 ytrans ort ward movement of the ork. i sprocket, wheel -35 .is secured to the shaft 33. 4The gearing .connecting the driving sha-ft and' isconnected by a `chain 36 to a sprocket 38 with the `forli'. 54 `for actuating itis eared wheel 37 secured to the sh ft I ismoimted so vthat by means of the drivin press, and also so that the fork will deliver coneetlon Amentioned the conveyor 23 wi thecharge of'material into. the press hopper t eldjblock 271.-' feeder head 1 ,fdra er 39 is mounted above the discharge tamping ndpf Ee conve or 2 3 and arranged tomove mediately before the head block 27 beg1n5 enters the press hopper 4for A ih 'liilethe'rewit f. This draper is pivoted on .to move forfpressing thegbale..

. Wheel 4g .wheels `on theroller 40,-@1'1d um 46" is driven by a spur-gearzimea 1n w1 -a fipereroller 40 thathas tsends 'ournaled The draper 39'is so arranged that its-irse tlr0u`gh-`the sides! 20 and 21'.VV n'ln edlon the roller 40 are downwardly back the material onl the conveyor extdngbars- 41 and 42that have a roller the fork 54 tears away 43" 'mounted lon their llower free ends, and from theafeed hopper sothat the charge as 23 when a `it `to the press hopper 25, where ons, Shaft-33 that 1s mounted in bearings 34 the c vargeis released b ay rather abrupt -upthe material, and which occurs' 1m;-`

ivotally end weighted by thtroller 43 aids in holdingivoted at 129 togthe dotted lines 61 in Fig. 4, .when cranks 50 and r 10ovh 30 cause the fork to enter a char e of' material 38 on which so'that the fork willoperate onetime uring i the drive shaft for the press head block 27' each operation of thev head .block or baling of the vbalingy press immediately before the the charge of material thoiiefcllers ,carry the draper 39 (see Figs. delivered to the press vhopper 25 practically 2,3 and 4). .'.Thc roller 40 is 'driven b a free of raggedstrings.. sprocket that connects, a spree et 4l llc Full line and dotted line positiize of itl-l ;onkshaft 46 with a srocket fork 54 and associated parts are shoymin Fig.

shaft 2, one position of the-fork being t I th the feed hopper while getting a, ch'pg'glnd 'i another position at the normal fdili the same 'charging the charge into .the vhopfi'uy'.. '130 after the charge has been dropped into the hopper 25; and the dotted posltion C shows' 'the 'fork near the limit of its upward stroke.

' mamas.

,.Fig.' 4 three l"positions ofthe fork'and asso-4 ciated parts are shown. The dotted position Ashows the 'fork approaching and' entering va charge fof'material on 'the feed ho per 24;

the lfullv line position B showsthe ork just In operation,'ma.terial, such as hay, straw,

for the like,` by either manual or automatic means well understood in the art, is thrown l ontojthe conveyor 23 which is driven, as described, to'convey' and discharge thematerial into the feed hopper 24 where it accumulates in a-bunch or charge as the fork -54 travels over the irregular course or ellipse 60.

lThe cranks 5l) and 51 are of much greater Vradial length than the radius of the bevel gears 31 and 32 and driving' gears of the draper 39 so'pthat thefork travels at a much greater speed than the conveyor and dra er when'the apparatus is in operation, so t at.

the fork readily and clearly tears a charge from the material between the dischar e en s of the draper and conveyor. That is, t e material is moved relatively slowto the feed hopper and with great speed from the feed hopper into the press hopper.

The invention is not limited to the details herein shown illustratingthe preferable construction to be employed, as the broadest feature lof the invention consists in providing means for delivering `separated charges, one

at a time, to the baling press and in timed relation with `the operation of `the pressing means'of the balin press. The 'fork yconstruction may be mo ified in form and operating means so long as the tines thereofA move in the arcuate direction indicated at the lower part of the dottedv line 60 forv discharginga unch or charge of material into the hay press and'v operates in timed relation with the feeder head or head block. Also while the conveyor feeding attachment herein shown is refer'- ably for a substantially continuous eed of materialjto the feed hopperv and fork, it may be omittedif .desired and, likewise, thedraper, but they are preferably not only fora substantially continuous feed of' material to the feed hoplper, but for relatively holding the. material etween the draper and the conveyor while the quick movement of the fork is separating the charge in the. feedhopper from the material between the conveyor and draper.

I claim as my invention: y 1. A feeder for a baling press, li

tocontinually move material toward la bale press, a fork, means for mounting and moving said fork at high speed inan irregular ellipse toward and from the baling pressA forintermittently separating and delivering a ing press for operating said conveyor and fork movin means.

2. A fee er for a balin press including a feed hopper located besi e the baling press and from 'which a charge of material may be delivered to the baling press a conveyor driven at intermediate speed or conveying material to the feed hopper, a draper driven at the same speed as said conveyor and coacting with it, said draper arranged so that its .free end is forced by gravity toward the discharge end of said conveyor,J and a fork for intermittently separating the material in the feed hopper from the material held by said veyor and-draper and delivering it to the baling press'.

4.' A feeder for a baling press including a feed hopper' located between a conveyor and baling press, a fork consisting of a straight beam arranged over and parallel with the I conve or and with tines projecting angularly there rom, a crank towhich the forward end of said fork beam is ivoted, another crank to which the rear end) of said fork beam is pivoted, means adapted to be driven by the aling press for revolving .said forward crank so as to cause. the rear crank 'toswing 1n an arc and glve to the fork 1n the lower part of itsmovement a thrust into the charge of material and then 'an arcuate movement through the feed'hoppertowardsthe baling press and a subse uent upward movement tol d isen age the for `from the material so as to dehver the charge to the baling press.

In witness` whereof, I have hereunto aixed i my signature. v

e L y NICHOLS. v

.'cluding 'l a conveyor driven at an intermediate speed charge of material from said conveyor to said baling press, and means actuated by the bal- 

